Ayodhya's Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Sports Complex likely to become sports college

Lucknow: The sports department has proposed to convert the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar International Sports Complex in Ayodhya into a sports college.Spread across 45 acres, the complex includes two sports hostel buildings with facilities for seven disciplines — athletics, wrestling, table tennis, badminton, hockey, handball and volleyball — along with a guest house, staff buildings, an overbridge and 16 different games infrastructure and administrative blocks.

“The sports department has planned to convert Ayodhya stadium into a sports college, which will be the seventh college in the state. Three more sports colleges are in the pipeline. This season, the sports colleges in Fatehpur and Saharanpur have started functioning, while the one in Ballia is under construction,” sports secretary Suhas LY said.“Ayodhya stadium is one of the best in the state, but it is an underutilized facility.

Therefore, we have planned to make good use of its infrastructure. We will build a separate hostel block, academic block and coaches’ accommodation block for the sports college,” he said.“The girls’ sports hostel will remain unchanged. Sports facilities will also remain accessible to outsiders,” Suhas LY said.He added that the 1981 Sports College Services Rules had been revised and rewritten to establish the ‘Uttar Pradesh Centre of Excellence’ and ‘Sports Gurukul 2026’ — initiatives approved by the sports society and the UP sports ministry.

“Once the govt order is issued, the process of appointing principals for old and new sports colleges will be conducted under these new rules, thereby resolving the difficulties currently being faced regarding appointments. New rules will modernise sports excellence centres and colleges,” he said.Regional sports officer Animesh Saxena said, “At least 135 girls are staying in the hostel. We have a total of 387 registered players in different sports who train daily under coaches at the sports complex.”“The Ayodhya Sports Complex has a 400-metre synthetic track, three swimming pools, nine badminton courts, two lawn tennis courts, an indoor handball hall, a national-level cricket ground with a seating capacity of 20,000, a hockey astroturf, judo hall, kabaddi hall, table tennis hall, basketball court, three volleyball courts, a multi-gym, cycling facility, weightlifting facility and a football ground,” Saxena said.“It is good that the govt is considering the establishment of a sports college at Ayodhya Stadium. In the interest of sports, it should be ensured that existing facilities being provided to players at the sports complex should continue,” he added.